I’m remotely thinking about getting new Over Ear Headphones. Does anyone have particular first hand experience with repeat.audio or with the fairphone earbuds xl?
repeat.audio offers a “comparison” at this page.
(Yes, I know brands like Teufel and their lovely Real Blue NC… I also liked them very much, until the frame broke. Hence the two repairable products).
Do they have to be wireless?
I’d highly recommend the any of the big Phillips Fidelio headphones. They’re ridiculously comfy, they’re sturdy, and they sound incredible.
Other than that, I’m a huge fan of planetary magnetic drivers, like Hifiman’s often discounted older units.
And if you need USB output, you can get a good dongle on the cheap, like any of the Fiio KA series.
EDIT: Just saw the community. Not sure about EU companies, specifically, though many many make wired headphones.
Fairbuds didn’t accomodate my huge melon properly and the balance felt off - tested some van halen and the cymbals hurt more than usual. Both are really personal things so ya really should try them out yourself.
Repeat audio is new to me but looks very interesting. I love everything dutch.
Then theres the Valco VMK25-2 but those may still be assembled in china.
Or if you can handle wired theres a lot more quality per euro to be had. For example you could get second hand Austrian made AKG k812 for similar money.
Yea, the fitting is really an issue. I have sort of an alien head 👽😐
I feel that the 400€ for the earbuds are hefty, even for a green product. I tend to try the repeat.audio (try as in test if they match my head shape), and maybe go with the lifetime repair offer, well knowing that lifetime is only as long as the company exists.
My motivation is to support a company that made a lot of right decisions, e.g. in terms of right to repair/repairability and avoiding waste, e.g. by recycling. I cannot say that these reflect my values and given the opportunity buy something else 😅
Sounds good. I raise my size 63 hat to yer values.
Have you looked into https://austrian.audio/product-category/headphones/ ?
Founded by ex-AKG people in Vienna, their higher end models are still made in Austria, and sound great. Easy to repair, too, from what I heard (didn’t break mine… yet)
No, actually I didn’t knew about them.
Also I don’t know if they really fit in my eco, green, recycling thought process so I just ordered the repeat.audio to give them a try.
I’m willing to share my impression as soon as possible and maybe we should make a list of Europan manufacturers of good over ear headphones.
Repeat headphones - A Dutch brand of repairable headphones. You assemble them yourselves, you get the parts in the box. I think some parts are made in China. But hey, depending on where you assemble them they can be European made as well ;).
Edit: just read your title, not your content - haha, and started typing out of enthusiasm. So yeah have experience with repeat, they are pretty good!
Returned them. My journey and comparison to fairbuds are in another post.
